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From the sidelines. From the broadcast booth. And now in retirement. When the old Raiders coach watches the 49ers these days, he likes what he sees. Especially on the sideline.

“I think (Jim) Harbaugh’s done a great job,” said Madden, in an interview aboard his famed Madden Cruiser bus. “Last year, I think he did an all-time great job. Because of the lockout, he had to take the guys he had and play with them. And then going back to the NFC Championship Game this year?”

For the record, Madden agrees with the controversial quarterback switch Harbaugh made at midseason. He and everyone else who watched Colin Kaepernick’s transcendent playoff performance Saturday.

“He had to go with the guy who was there the first year,” Madden said. “I don’t believe he ever felt that was the final answer. You know, it’s like you’re saying, ‘I’ll do something … but it’s not necessarily doing it the way I want.’ Does that make any sense?”

On Kaepernick’s play, Madden simply said, “The way he runs, he reminds of that sprinter, (Usain) Bolt.”

The coaching and broadcasting legend has plenty of time to watch the team and analyze Harbaugh’s moves these days as he enjoys retirement here in the Bay Area. He spends every Sunday in a refurbished office space in Pleasanton that looks like some kind of man cave fantasy. Nine big-screen TVs frame a massive movie screen. A few rows of huge leather chairs sit in the front. A big barbecue smoker cooks out back. The Hall of Famer gets together with 20 or 30 of his friends and relatives every Sunday to watch NFL games.

“I sit here and call out the numbers of the TVs and my friend changes the lineup with a computer,” said Madden, walking out of the office building and toward his famed RV, which sits parked out back. “I love it.”

He also loves offensive linemen, as most every football fan knows, especially the 49ers’ line.

“I think they’re the best offensive line,” said Madden, who honors the best line in the league every year with his Madden Protectors Award. “Unless something happens between now and the end of the season, I think they’re going to win this year.”

Madden especially likes the way the line has set the agenda for the offense this season with its aggressive play.

“They’re good players. They dominate the line of scrimmage,” Madden said. “As a lineman, you always look at who you’re lining up against. That (left guard) Mike Iupati, I wouldn’t want to line up against him.”

Beyond the 49ers, Madden went on to discuss a wide range of topics in Tuesday’s interview, including the head injury issues that cloud the game.

“We don’t have the answers,” said Madden. “We’re on the right road, but it’s not one-dimensional. The awareness has everyone thinking. But we don’t really know much about the brain.”

Madden said he’s had former players who have struggled with issues that could be related to head injuries suffered while playing. He said he wishes he could have tried to help sooner.

On a less weighty matter, Madden made it clear he prefers his barbecue smoked, with sauce on the side. If you’d like a taste of that, one Visa customer will get to hang out with Madden at his man cave deluxe in Pleasanton for a day next season. Contest details are at www.visa.com/makeitepic.